Sweetie, please let me go
The Doctor is left alone with the Solitract, who takes the form of her wife.
“River,” the doctor breathed. River looked just like she had that day on Trenzalore, with her white clothes, puffy hair, and all-knowing smile, draped languidly over a white chair. And it had been so long since they had spent that beautiful night on Darillium. The Doctor’s hearts felt like they were trying to punch holes through her chest.
“Of course it would be you. Well, even though you aren’t really River Song,” the doctor said, “you’re just the Solitract trying to convince me to stay in this world. You brought Erik and Graham’s dead spouses back to them. I guess it makes sense to bring back mine.”
“Maybe,” River acknowledged, nodding. “Or maybe I’ve found a way to come back. You couldn’t really expect death to hold me back, could you?”
The doctor smiled sadly, crinkling her nose and cheeks as she stepped closer to her wife. “River, you faded long ago on Trenzalore. I’m so, so sorry, but you aren’t real. You died an even longer time ago.”
River uncrossed her legs quickly and crossed the hallway to fill the space between the two women.
“Let’s not worry about stupid things like life and death. You, of all people, should know that death isn’t the end, especially for your time-traveling wife. I have to say, I love your new body. It’s… refreshing and looks like fun,” she winked. “How about you and I go try a few things?”
The Doctor took a step back, trying to ignore that “River” smelled exactly the way she remembered: absolutely intoxicating. She shook her head and closed her eyes.
“You’re not River Song. Please, just let me go back to my universe. Why didn’t this form show up with Grace and Trine when I entered this world? Why now? You wanna know what I think? I think, deep down, you know that this form couldn’t keep me here. I’ve had a long time to mourn River and move on since I saw her last. She always thought I didn’t love her back, but I did. So much it hurt to even think about saying goodbye.”
The doctor’s voice faltered for a moment and then continued.
“My past lives might have spent hundreds of years here with you.”
“And you won’t?” River asked, “they’re still you”.
“I know how guilty they felt. They blamed themselves for your death. I’ve moved on. I have three new friends and I have a duty to protect them. So please, Solitract, River, sweetie, please let me go.”
There was a long silence.
River nodded and raised her hand as Grace and Trine did, white light emanating from her palm. The last thing the Doctor saw in the Solitract’s universe were the tears rolling down her wife’s cheeks.
